Conference wahoo::fishing

As previously discussed in MAIL, count me in!

Yup, I think I'll go as well.  I haven't had a good meal of smelt in a 
while.  Maybe we can bring a small camp stove, pan, butter and flour and cook 
some up right there!

-HSJ-

    I talked to my neighbor last night and he's planning on going (and
    maybe his brother) and we had planned on bring cooking gear to fry up
    some smelt on the ice.
    
    John Easter is going as well.  That's 6 of us so far.
    
    donmac

    
    Well, I'll be there.  I have a latern but no stove.  I can bring butter
    and or flour... (I'm included in the six)
    
    Tim
    

    Is there anyone up on the Lamprey or Oyster river that rents smelt
   
    shanties? 
    
    Thanks
    
    John

re: < Note 1284.5 by WORDS::BUZYNSKI >
                       -< Are there Shanties for rent? >-


I doubt it.  Most of the shacks on the Lamprey and Oyster Rivers are 
privately owned.  I know that they do rent shacks out on Great Bay, but I 
don't know who you'd contact.  I also doubt that Great Bay is safe yet.

You might try contacting Sawyer's Bait in Newmarket.  They're just down the 
road from where we go on the Lamprey.  They might be able to help.  Their 
tel. # is (603) 659-3336.

Let us know what you find out.

-HSJ- 

    I called Sawyer's and got the following:
   Sawyer does rent 2 man houses for $4 a day/man plus bait. They
    will have their 2 or 3 houses out on the ice in about a week.
    
    I forgot to ask which river, but I would imagine that they will
    be on the Lamprey.
    
    If I find any more I will post the info.
    
    Anyone else?
    
    John
    

    
    I enjoy a good fresh smelt meal also.
    Went up to Maine a couple times the last two years and got SKUNKED!
    
    Do ya need a license on the lamprey?  How big are the ones that
    run there?  Do people pitch a small tent or just stand out in 
    the open with a lantern?  How many hooks are allowed on a line?
    
    AND - - WHAT'S THE BEST METHOD??         Gotta try it there!!
    
    THANX     FRED

    Fred,
    	Sorry to hear you got skunked in our fair state. I had my best year
    ever last year on the Kennebec although the reports I got from the
    commercial camps nearby were not good. 
    	Since Winter arrived so early this year some shacks have been on
    a couple weeks already. I need to ECO my shack design a little to save
    some wight but I hope to get it on the first week in January. Come on
    down (Downeast that is) and join us if you'd like. There's usually room
    for one more in the Trump Smelt Tower.
    
    Paul 

    
    THE KENNEBEC,  THAT'S THE CULPRIT!!  SUCKED ME BUT GOOD.
    Some of the troops went up one weekend and cleaned house.
    We go up and neither camp does S___!
    Maybe we smell bad (or good :^) ). 
    The following week another garrison went forth and gorged
    themselves. 
    
    Appreciate the offer, I'm a sucker for punishment - espec-
    ially when it comes to fishin'.  Would like to try it a 
    wee bit closer tho'.  We watched them fish lake quinsigamond
    for these 3" jobbers, but what sticks in my mind is all of
    the overflowed sewer lines and where it drained to during 
    bad rain storms, and I just can't seem to get out there.
    Like diving Boston harbor for lobster. Plenty there but, -
    LECH-PTOOWEE!! If ya get the drift.
    
    Drop me a note on SHRFAC when ya figure it'd be a good time
    and my son and I may make the trip - AGAIN!  
    
    TIGHT LINES 
    
    FRED

    
    Do ya need a license on the lamprey?  
    yes
    How big are the ones that run there?  6-8" (?)
    
    Do people pitch a small tent or just stand out in the open with a 
    lantern?  mostly bob houses but lots of folks out in the open 
    
    How many hooks are allowed on a line?  don't know...
    
    AND - - WHAT'S THE BEST METHOD???  dir/key=smelt should have decrips
    
    

	Well one of my retired fishing buddies rented a smelt shack on Great
Bay last Sunday with 6"+ of ice (only 4 fish caught).  He's also fished the
Exeter River every day this week (I think he said there was > 7" of ice).
BTW - he limited out in three hours two of the four days he's fished.  He also
caught two 13" brook trout and several small salmon....By the time I get up
there it'll be fished out......If you're thinking of running over there and
catching all the fish, forget it - I'm going tomorrow and I guarantee that
there won't be a single fish within 50 miles of the place.

Dave "Harpoonist"

    5 of us went up to Great Bay on Friday night, we fished on the Lamprey
    river behind the mill in Newmarket.  Plenty of ice, but very few fish
    caught - I think I caught the most with a total of FIVE!  A few white
    perch were caught (not by me though).
    
    donmac

    	Sounds like a good sign that the white perch were caught already.
    They don't seem to come in every year. I have caught white perch
    up to 3� pounds and seen 4+ pounders come through the ice. When
    they're in, you don't seem to get as many smelt but then again,
    who cares. I'd rather have the white perch. You can fill up a 5
    gallon bucket of them (when they're running) in about an hour or
    so. You can get some nice skinless/boneless fillets out of them. 
    They also can give you a decent fight on those little smelt poles 
    too.
    
    Re: previous note about limit of smelt
    
    	I think the person that told you they limited out in 2-3 hours
    was either pulling your leg or using the wrong limit measurement
    (or using a net ;-). The salt water limit is 10 quarts (vs. 4 quarts 
    in fresh water) liquid measure. As far as I know, Exeter is considered 
    salt water. I suspect that the person that caught they're limit in 
    2-3 hours was using the wrong F+G guide (Fresh water guide) to
    determine their limit. 
    
    	I'm just guessing but I'd say you'd have to average approx. 2 
    fish per minute for 3 straight hours to get your limit in salt water.
    Although I've seen them bite that fast, I haven't been able to get
    them hooked, up though the hole, off the hook, rebait, and reset my
    line fast enough to keep up an average of 2 fish per minute for very 
    long. Having more poles does not equate to catching more fish when
    they're running good either. One good tangle will substantially
    reduce this average too.
        
    	RAYJ

RE.14
    
>>    	I think the person that told you they limited out in 2-3 hours
>>    was either pulling your leg or using the wrong limit measurement
>>    (or using a net ;-). The salt water limit is 10 quarts (vs. 4 quarts 
>>    in fresh water) liquid measure. As far as I know, Exeter is considered 
>>    salt water. I suspect that the person that caught they're limit in 
>>    2-3 hours was using the wrong F+G guide (Fresh water guide) to
>>    determine their limit. 
    
	All fisherman are liars except me and he !!!  My friend doesn't lie
about such sacred matters !!!  I saw his freezer on Saturday - unless he went
out and spent $100 at the fish market - he caught what he said.  And yes Exeter
is considered salt water and yes the limit is 10 quarts and yes he caught his
limit of 10 quarts in about 3 hours twice last week.  He has a 10 quart bucket
that he fills to the rim with smelt as his measurement.  I've never caught
enough smelt in one season to fill a 10 quart bucket so what do I know......

Dave "Harpoonist"

re: .15

Dave, 

I've fished both the Lamprey and Oyster Rivers with the Oyster out-producing 
the Lamprey (from my lilited experience).  It seems that the place to be is 
on the Exeter River.

Care to share where?  Directions?  Local bait shops?  Are sshacks available 
for rent?  etc...

Thanks,

Joe

I know that nobody caught even 1/10 of 1/10 of 10 quarts.  The smelt I ate were
delicious, the perch even better.  

Joe:  You mentioned that the females were full of roe-- Some of the ones I 
cleaned had yellow stuff inside (which could have been roe) and some had white.
What was I looking at here?

I was in a tackle store near Brockton on Saturday (after digging my car out) and
the owner said they get smelt down in Quincy somewhere.  I don't remember what
river (I thought he said the Charles, could this be?).  Anybody know which one?

Joe/Don/whoever:  I'm up for another trip.  How 'bout Friday night, 12/29?  
Actually, anytime is fine.

Tim

P.S.  I'd love to catch a walleye through the ice (or not, for that matter!) --
any tips?  I've been reading this file for over a year and I can't recall any
mention of walleye, but If there is such a note, I'll re-post my request there.

    Sounds like we should give the Exeter a shot... Junior at Sawyers Bait 
    can supply us with directions, he gave us them once before but on the
    way out we ran into some folks who were getting fish behind the mill
    and we wound up going there...
    
    I'm sure I'll be heading up there again before next Friday - maybe this
    Friday - maybe some day next week...
    
    donmac - who will have his shack ready for next time...

    
    Hi folks,
    
    I'm interested in renting a smelting shack (weekend only) 
    somewhere in N.H. or Maine.  I'd also like to set out traps
    for lakers/trout/whatever while I'm smelting....
    
    Can you give me an idea of costs for the rental of the shanty
    and best bets for the side action (lakers etc.)..
    
    Lake Winni comes to mind first....???
    
    I've never fished for lakers through the ice so any tips on
    traps/setup/hooking the smelt would be appreciated.
    
    Thanks in advance,
    
    Moose 

I'm up for this Friday as well.  Or any time!

Tim

   	>>    I'm interested in renting a smelting shack (weekend only) 
	>>    somewhere in N.H. or Maine.  

	Moose, note .7 has smelt shack rental info for great bay 

	>>I'd also like to set out traps
	>>for lakers/trout/whatever while I'm smelting....
  
	The smelt ice fishing that I'm familiar with is done on the 
	coastal tidal rivers (no lake trout there 8^).  I am not
	aware of any smelt ice fishing being done on the larger lakes
	that have freshwater smelt. I think you are allowed to net
	freshwater smelt at certain times of the year - but for smelt
	ice fishing - the only type I am aware of is done on the coastal 
	rivers.

	Even if it were not the law that you have to man your traps - 
	it'd be an awful long drive from Great Bay to Winni everytime
	you get a flag! 8^)

	>>    I've never fished for lakers through the ice so any tips on
	>>    traps/setup/hooking the smelt would be appreciated.
  
	A quick look at the keyword note shows tons of ice fishing topics,
	(ICE-FISHING 555.46) if I recall, many of these deal with lake 
	trout.  Take a quick look through some of these and reply to one 
	to further the discussion.
        
	Note - the smelt that we're catching through the ice are usually
	destined for the frying pan - not the traps.  The sea-run smelt
	are larger than the typical freshwater smelt that are bought
	at the local tackle shop for bait.

	Another keyword lookup shows the SMELT topics, of which 543.5
	has a good description of smelt fishing.

        Tight lines, donmac
	

    Donmac,
    
    Thanks,  the reason I mention laker fishing simultaneously
    is that the last time I fished (smelted) lake champlain
    I also saw tip-ups out for catching lakers (5+ years ago),
    and they were catching some decent sized fish!!!
    
    I'll go back and check out the other notes on this.  So most of
    you guys just go for the sea run smelts, and that's it?????
                                                    
    Moose
    
    

    Ok Ok Tim, I'll let you drag me out there again this Friday night...
    
    Anyone else interested...?
    
    donmac

    Well, it was quite an experience smelting with DonMac this past Friday
    evening.  We both said "What the ....", we're not going to get any work
    done today (Friday, 10am).  I met him at his house, we packed the shack
    up, went and bought some things (coleman heater/stove, new auger for
    me) and headed to Sawyer's.  We intended to fish the Exeter, but were
    convinced to go to the mill on the Lamprey by those at Sawyer's.  I
    drill some holes, Don begins shack set up.  Well, the wind was a bit
    strong for the PVC structure, so Don goes to get some rope and spikes
    to help tie it down.  By the time he returns, I have a sufficiently
    large hole all set up.  (I'm also holding the partially assembled shack
    up in the wind--loads of fun)  Don comes into the shack.  I warn him
    that the hole is pretty big, but he goes and steps into it anyway.  One
    leg (his right, I think) in past the knee.  Well, as anybody would, he
    grabs whatever he can to break his fall.  Only Don would grab the
    auger blades.  So, it's 4 degrees and he doesn't feel it.  Later, I
    notice large quantities of blood flowing from his right glove.
    
    "Ah, Don, you're bleeding pretty good"
    
    "Hmm, you're right"
    
    We wrap the finger up in a dirty fishing rag and head for the police
    station.  They call the ambulance.  Don gets to go to the Exeter
    hospital.  I return to the hole and pick up the valuable things, put
    them in my car and go to pick him up at the emergency room.  Nice
    splint and 8 (or 12?) stiches and 1.5 hours later, we're back to
    fishing.  Fair night, I cleaned 56 smelt when I got home.  We also had
    about a dozen cooked in the shack.  
    
    What do you say, Don, Let's go again this Friday night?
    
    
    Tim
    

    Just called Sawyer's Bait shop to see if I could arrange a smelt
    fishing trip in one of their shanties, and I was told that they have
    had sickness in the family so they could not put out the shacks
    (and they don't know when they'll get out).
    
    So does anyone have a name & phone # of a place that rents shanties
    in the N.H. and or Southern Maine area?
    
    P.S. As I understand it from reading these notes "HIGH TIDE" is
         the best time to be there. If so when is High tide this
    	 weekend (Friday,Saturday)?
    
    Thanks,
    George

	Re .24>
    
	WOW! That sounds worse than my usual safaris. I hope DonMac is
OK. I've been thinking of enhancements to my shack and after that story
I think I'll put a well stocked first aid kit at the top of the list. Maybe 
I'll keep an extra set of dry clothes in the pickup as well. 
	Injury or immersion with the wind chill factor well below zero is
serious stuff. Glad you came out of it OK.
Regards,
Paul

    Yeap... I first aid kit would have been handy...  however the fishy rag
    did the trick... 
    
    donmac - who wil be back smelt'n ths friday...
    
      

    Tim,
    
      I got to begin to wonder about you...disaster seems to follow
    you closely. I just don't think I could risk a 30 mile offshore
    run with you on board....
    
    Bruce

Bruce:

Maybe I am cursed with bad luck.  I sure hope not.  I never been in a car 
accident and I driver 114 mile a day.  Anyway, please consider me for any and 
all offshore trips, be it 30 miles or 3 miles...

Tim

P.S. Glad you're still alive--We were wondering where you had been

P.P.S. For those not in on this:  Bruce is referring to the bluefishing trip we
       had this past summer where I got a hook past the barb in my leg.  Hey
       Bruce -- Sharpen those babies.  Rusty, dull hooks are no fun to remove!
       (not that sharp ones would be either)

    	I hope to have my shack on the Kennebec next weekend. Some shacks
    have been out there a long time already but the reports are that I
    haven't missed much yet. Maybe they're all waiting for me. ;^)
    
    Paul

    We're heading back again this Friday night if anyone is interested...
    
    And I can vouch that last Friday Tim went along and there was 5 of us 
    and not a single person was injured - unless of course you count 
    Spinnerbait Dilsworth's frostbitten fingers... 8^)
    
    donmac 

That's right --- No injuries!  How 'bout that?  We didn't catch all that much
(at least by the time I left --5pm) smelt but we were toasty warm in the Viking
shack!

Tim

P.S.  Keith: Those shims on the auger improved ease of use by some factor
      between 2 and 10.

    	Managed to get up to the usual spot on the Lamprey Sunday night.
    They were supposedly hitting pretty good on the incoming tide. A
    person dropped off a couple dozen smelt to Jr. at Sawyers and said he
    caught 64 in about 2� hrs.. 
    
    	Unfortunately I got there around peak high and fished the out
    going tide. It was REAL slow. The two of us only got about 3 dozen
    or so but it's still fun getting out. There was a decent gust blowing
    but it wasn't that cold so it was enjoyable.

    	Didn't catch or see any white perch. Jr. said they come and
    go and have been spotty but they're around. Maybe next time. I might
    get up on Wednesday night. Gotta get the trips in now before school
    starts next week :-(
    
    Re: 15 ???
    
    Dave,    
    	I'd be interested in what method and conditions this person had/used.
    I'm always trying to improve on my set-up and even with the fish hitting
    hot and heavy, I can't imaging how I could get that many in so short
    a time using hook and line. Some things worth asking this guy are - 
    
    		How many poles does this person use at a time ?
    		How many hooks on each line ?
    		What size and type hook does he use ?
    		What size weight does he use ?
    		Is it tied above or below the hooks ?
    		Does he fish in a shack or on the ice ?
    		If on the ice, does he use gloves of some kind ?
    		Does he use sliding bobbers on the poles ?
    		Approx. how deep is he fishing ?
    		How does he prop his poles up over the hole ?
    		Approx. what % of bites does he actually hook up on ?
		How wide is the net he is using ;-)
        
    	As I said in the other note, I'm guessing that a limit of smelt
    is well over 300 (depending on size of course). Has this person
    ever counted them just for ha ha's ???

    	On an average, I can bring a fish in, get it off the hook, throw
    it in the bucket, and rebait in about 20 seconds. Knock off about 5
    seconds or so if I don't need to rebait. At that rate I could catch my 
    limit in 3 hours as long as they bit constantly, I hooked almost every 
    fish that bit my line, didn't go to the bathroom, get any tangled
    lines, drink or smoke anything, (assuming 2 fish per minute are
    needed). Of course if I did that, there also wouldn't been any time
    to have any fun :-(

	Well my buddy and I (the one from .15 catching his limit twice in about
3hrs) went up to Dresden Maine Friday night (8:00pm - 2:00am) at Quintal Smelt
Shacks (about 2-3 miles up thE East river from James Eddies).  We caught just
4 smelt in 6 hours !!!  It was terrible....Any other reports from other places
recently???  

RE.33
	Sorry it took so long to reply but I haven't had much chance lately to
stay abreast of notes.....

>>>	I'd be interested in what method and conditions this person had/used.
>>>	I'm always trying to improve on my set-up and even with the fish hitting
>>>	hot and heavy, I can't imaging how I could get that many in so short
>>>	a time using hook and line. Some things worth asking this guy are - 
	
	I didn't specifically ask him these questions, but I am aware of how
	he fishes so her goes my best guess:  (BTW - he's been up the Exeter
	at least twice a week since mid-December and he hasn't done much of
	anything since.)  I guess it pays to be there are the right time.....
    
>>>    	How many poles does this person use at a time ?	
	USUALLY 5 BUT HE COULD ONLY FISH 3 ON THE DAYS WHEN HE CAUGHT HIS LIMIT

>>>    	How many hooks on each line ?		ONE

>>>    	What size and type hook does he use ?	SIZE 8 - GOLD - HE TIES A SMALL
	PIECE OF RED/ORANGE YARD JUST ABOVE IT OR SOMETIMES USES SMALL BEEDS.
	EVERY TIME WE'VE FISHED TOGETHER WE ALWAYS SEEM TO CATCH ABOUT THE SAME
	AMOUNT.  I USE REGULAR #8 ORR #10 HOOKS, NO YARN, BUT I DO SOMETIMES
	USE SMALL GOLD OR SILVER SPINNERS ON THE MONO POLE LINES.

>>>    	What size weight does he use ?  NOT SURE - MAYBE 1/2 OZ. OR LESS -
	DEPENDS UPON THE CURRENT AND DEPTH - HE USES AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.

>>>   	Is it tied above or below the hooks ?  SINKER IS ABOVE THE HOOKS.

>>>   	Does he fish in a shack or on the ice ?  IN EXETER HE'S OUT IN THE OPEN

>>>   	If on the ice, does he use gloves of some kind ?  SOFT COTTON GLOVES IF
	IT'S TO COLD TO GO BARE HANDED.

>>>   	Does he use sliding bobbers on the poles ? YES - EITHER A SLIDING ONE
	OR SOMETIMES JUST A REGULAR SMALL PLASTIC BOBBER.

>>>   	Approx. how deep is he fishing ? NOT SURE -  ABOUT 8 FT I WOULD GUESS.

>>>   	How does he prop his poles up over the hole ?  USUALLY JUST LAYS THEM
	ON THE ICE NEXT TO THE HOLE UNLESS HE'S IN A SHACK.

>>>   	Approx. what % of bites does he actually hook up on ? NO MORE THEN THE
	NEXT GUY - I KNOW BECAUSE WE BOTH COULDN'T CATCH THEM LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
	HOWEVER HE DID SAY HE WAS CATHCING NEARLY EVERY FISH WHEN HE CAUGHT HIS
	LIMIT IN MID-DECEMBER.

>>>	How wide is the net he is using ;-) I DON'T KNOW BUT I SURE WISH HE'D
	SHARE IT WITH ME....
        
>>>    	As I said in the other note, I'm guessing that a limit of smelt
>>>     is well over 300 (depending on size of course). Has this person
>>>     ever counted them just for ha ha's ???
	IF I RECALL CORRECTLY - HE DID SAY SOMETHING ABOUT EITHER 244 OR 294
	ON ONE OF THESE DAYS.

	I GUESS HE JUST HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHERE HE COULDN'T MISS.....

    	I didn't reply before because there isn't much news from the
    Kennebec. I went 1/13-1/16 and caught between 10 and 15 fish per tide.
    I didn't go this weekend (went North to some very slow Salmon fishing).
    	The reports I'm getting from Baker's camps is all bad, as is the
    news from the Eastern River.
    	I'll try again this coming weekend and post the results.
    Regards,
    Paul

    re:33
    
    	I've been in the same boat as far as lack of time lately so
    I know the feeling. Sounds like this person isn't doing anything
    really different but as you said, was in the right place at the right
    time.
    
    	It's nice to here about the subtle variations. I usually fish
    2 hooks per pole and typically not more than 3 poles at a time.
    If they're biting hot and heavy, 3 is usually more than I can handle.
    
    	Some of the other things that can affect you that you can't
    control is the depth they seem to want to run at and the weather.
    If the're running at 12-14' it slows you down a little and makes
    it easier to get lines tangled. If it's fairly cold, you may not
    get a chance to warm your hands at all between bites. I've had times
    like that where I just sat and watched them bite while I took about
    a one minute break to warm my hands. No doubt that if you could
    get them shallow on a decent night you could probably clean house.
    
    	One of the things that I've considered to help speed things up
    a little (other than a net ;-) is something to prop my poles up on 
    over the hole. What I've been using is a piece of coat hanger wire 
    which runs through the top of my handle and is bent in a U. This 
    usually slips on the ice or moves in the handle when resetting the 
    line and adds a few seconds after a bite. My ideal situation is to 
    be able to pull up the line, remove the fish, drop the rig back in 
    (unless it needs rebaiting), and put the pole down as fast as possible.
    
    	One thing I know that helps is to peg the sliding bobber on
    the line after you find the depth you want to fish at. This can
    take twice as long to reset a line after a bite if it slides down
    the line.
    
    	Some things I've tried that didn't seem to work so well for
    me was to tie the weight below the hook/s. This makes getting the
    rig back in the water easier but doesn't seem to be as sensitive
    to bites as rigging it the other way. I've also tried long shank
    hooks to help get the hook out faster and that seemed to reduce
    the number of hook-ups. I've also tried Playtex living gloves thinking
    that they'de be thin enough to allow you to rebait and remove fish
    AND keep my hands warmer. They did allow me to rebait and remove
    fish but really didn't do anything to keep my hands any warmer.
    For some reason, they actually felt colder because they seemed to
    stay wet longer than your bare hands would. Maybe Platex gloves
    over poly-pro glove liners would do the trick ???
    
    	With all this said, I wonder when/if it's going to get cold
    enough to get up there again ???
    
    	RAYJ

    The smelt run in the Columbia is in full swing.  The two main
    tributaries in which they spawn is the Cowlitz (SW Wash. river)
    and the Sandy (Ore. side in the gorge).  
    
    The way they "fish" for them is with nets with 20 foot poles.  Most
    people limit quite soon when the run is in full swing.  The limit
    is 20 lbs.
    
    I buy them for sturgeon bait. (0.75/lb)
                                   
    
    
    Ken

Another little tip that I've found has greatly improved my smelt catches was 
to rig up the tips of my smelt rods with "spring bobbers."  I came across 
these little gizmos at a local sport shop.  They're thin, flat stainless 
stell springs, about 5" long and have an eyelet at one end.  Simple tape 
them on the end of the rod and run the line through them.  They're extremely 
sensitive to slightlest little tap and just bounce or "spring" up and down.  
I've totally eliminated the little cork bobbers that slid up and down my 
line (they always froze up anyway!).  

-HSJ- (when's the stiff water gonna be gone??)

    	Its warm and raining here in Augusta, Maine. I hope my shack
    doesn't end up going downstream.
    
    	BTW - This crazy weather hasn't helped the fishing at all. 
    
    Re .37> We have fresh water smelt fishing like that in the Spring but
    probably not to the extent that you have out West. I've never tried it
    but you dip for them in small streams flowing into lakes. I believe
    that the limit is 3 quarts in Maine. The fresh water version is
    smaller than the salt water ones but I think they are tastier.
                                       
    Regards,
    Paul